Strawberry

The garden strawberry, Fragaria x
ananassa, is a hybrid species that is cultivated
worldwide for its the (common) strawberry.
The fruit (which is not actually a berry, but an
aggregate accessory fruit) is widely appreciated
for its characteristic aroma, bright red color,
juicy texture, and sweetness. It is consumed in
large quantities, either fresh or in prepared foods
such as preserves, fruit juice, pies, ice creams,
and milkshakes. Artificial strawberry aroma is also
widely used in all sorts of industrialized food
products.

The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany,
France, about 1740 via a cross of Fragaria virginiana
from eastern North America, which was noted for
its flavor, and Fragaria chiloensis from Chile and
Argentina brought by Amédée-François
Frézier, which was noted for its large size.
Cultivars of Fragaria x ananassa have replaced,
in commercial production, the woodland strawberry,
which was the first strawberry species cultivated
in the early 17th century.

The strawberry is, in technical terms, an aggregate
accessory meaning that the fleshy part is
derived not from the plant's ovaries but from the
"receptacle" that holds the ovaries. Each
apparent "seed" (achene) on the outside
of the fruit is actually one of the ovaries of the
flower, with a seed inside it. In both culinary
and botanical terms, the entire structure is called
a "fruit".

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